


Woman to Woman

by Merfilly



Series: Padawan Plight [11]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-22
Updated: 2016-12-22
Packaged: 2018-09-11 03:31:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8952217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merfilly/pseuds/Merfilly
Summary: Ahsoka is having a bad feeling, and the bombing is only the beginning of it all.





	

_"To Coruscant, come, you must."_

Ahsoka Tano had been on edge ever since the mission began, but being told to pull back and go to the Temple was driving her closer to a breaking point. Something was riding just under her skin, something that was viscerally wrong.

Anakin didn't seem to feel it.

She left piloting to him, as usual, because he still had so little faith in her ability in that skill, and sank down as deep as she dared into meditation. It was a task she had never been good at as a youngling, but in the years since she had been in the War, it had become a lifeline.

+++

The mindscape that unfurled around her was deeply cloaked in shadows, back-lit by the reddish-orange cast that she now knew to be her own manifestation of the Force. She reached out, consciously seeking the bird-guide she had seen before, and could not find her.

~Where are you?~

The silence frightened her, nearly pushed her away, but she knew, with all of her will, that the guide could not have vanished. The guide was… a part of her?

With that awareness, the shadows fell back to a flare of blinding white light, and the bird came in to land on her waiting forearm.

~We are one,~ the small avatar of an ancient manifestation agreed, while Ahsoka absorbed that she was a part of the being she could feel wrapped around the bird, the Winged Lady of some of her earliest successful meditations.

~Something is wrong,~ Ahsoka finally said. ~I feel it, deep down, something that could destroy so much.~

The bird chirred at her, eyes meeting Ahsoka's intently. ~You were warned.~

A flash of that warning exploded on Ahsoka's senses, and it was more than enough to knock her out of the meditation, a single word on her lips.

"Barriss!"

+++

While her Master was sympathetic to her need to get to Barriss's side, Ahsoka had to be careful, and knew it. There were — perhaps these were what Master Windu called 'shatterpoints' all around her future actions. She was struck by the fact Barriss was not at the eulogy, and the sense of where her lover was didn't feel all that close even. She pushed that aside, gave all of her attention to the fallen, and promised herself she would find Barriss as soon as possible.

Only, Luminara came over as soon as the eulogy had been delivered and people were beginning to break up into smaller assemblies. Her eyes landed squarely on Ahsoka's face, and the padawan found herself tensing, anticipating being in some kind of trouble.

"Skywalker, would it be possible for your padawan to accompany me on a small matter?" she inquired.

Anakin looked torn, wanting to support her, causing Ahsoka to give him a soft, small smile. 

"Master, I am sure Master Luminara and I can get along fine, if you want to go check in on others that might need you?" she suggested, steeling herself for either what she had been perceived as doing, or for bad news. Either way, she was more than able to handle herself without his protective presence.

"Alright, Ahsoka." He looked at Luminara briefly, something passing between them, before going his own way.

"If you would walk with me, Padawan?" Luminara invited, hands going behind her own back, and Ahsoka fell in step with her. That was getting easier to do, not just from keeping up with Anakin but from the height she was putting on with every growth spurt.

"Of course, Master."

They were some distance from everyone else, on one of the more secluded paths, before Luminara spoke. "The last time you saw Barriss here, did you notice anything unusual about her?"

Ahsoka could only faintly hear the concern in the voice, but… it was Luminara. She was not given to excessive display of her emotions. "She did seem odd, Master. She was unaware I had gone missing, didn't seem pleased at all that I was there or that I was going to be spending my rest in the Temple. We normally spend as much time together as we can, working on the ways we can help each other learn, but those five days, I didn't see much of her at all.

"She was still very odd at the campaign over Umbara. Since then, we've only had contact by comm messages. Hers tend to be short and abrupt in tone. To be honest, I was beginning to believe she no longer wished to be friends with me," Ahsoka admitted, trying to keep all of her words neutral, without betraying her hurt, or how deeply personal the relationship actually was.

"Padawan, no, Ahsoka." Luminara's use of her name and stopping on the path made Ahsoka inwardly cringe for whatever was about to escape the master's lips. "Barriss has fully withdrawn from our bond. I know she is alive, but not where. So far, I have managed to conceal this, as I wish to find her and help her. She has been increasingly aberrant in her behavior over the last month. I fear that this terrorism may be connected."

That made Ahsoka's eyes go wide, memory of a dream snapping through her vividly, accompanied by words said. "She wouldn't!"

"What, Ahsoka? What insight do you have for me?" Luminara asked.

The younger Jedi worried at her lower lip with a sharp tooth, trying to find a good way to say this. She did not want to get Barriss in trouble. But what if she was already in danger?

"Young one," Luminara said in a very soft voice, one that managed to convey a gentle understanding. "I know you and she are exploring what it means to feel emotions for one another and still remain Jedi. I am not holding you at fault for anything that has happened. I only wish to have any clues to lead my investigation."

Relief flooded through the younger Jedi, hearing the honesty in those words. "She's said before that Jedi need to show they will hold their trouble-makers accountable. She's also had nightmares, of destruction like this, and the aftermath exposing those who are corrupted by the war. I do think what Pong Krell was exposed as having done hit hard against her, hmm, worries, about the war, and everything it is doing to us," Ahsoka admitted. "But, like I said, she really hasn't been talking to me much at all."

"Nor to me, even when I have pressed," Luminara admitted. "If you would assist me seek her out, and possibly help me with understanding what she needs, I would appreciate it."

Ahsoka reached out, hand going to Luminara's sleeve in deference to personal space issues, and nodded. "Anything I can do, to save her, I will."

Neither woman cared for the chill in the Force on just how Ahsoka had phrased that, but they would work together, nonetheless, to do just that.


End file.
